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“On a journey to track down the grave of their estranged father, Maribel and Anthony find their way to the Malort Cemetery, a strange, seemingly abandoned field of mostly unmarked tombs. There they encounter an eccentric clan of grave-robbers who’ve devised a highly-addictive drug made from human remains–and the fresher the corpse, the stronger the dose. What started out as an attempt to reconnect with the past becomes a descent into a psychedelic, neon-colored nightmare, will Maribel and Anthony find their way through the hallucinogens or will they become the next hit?”

I think I’ve written for Geek long enough for you guys to know that I’m really into some bonkers comics. The crazier things get inside a story with art, colors, and letters to boot always have me on board as a fan. Graverancers #1, written by M. L. Miller, with art by James Michael Whynot, Dee Cunniffe on colors and lettering by Jim Campbell, checks every box on that criteria list. Black Mask publishers a comic from these creators who give us enough to keep us engaged, but hooked to know what happens next.

via Black Mask

M.L. Miller writes a narrative that will creep you out to the core. He never holds back on how low it can (and potentially could) get for one second. He weaves together a story that’s not only mysterious and questionable, but ghastly and realistic. You can tell that he won’t be holding back in order to protect you. Miller based Gravetrancers off of a real-life case where a cemetery was making a profit off reselling plots when they dumped the bodies in a hole in the back of the lot. Miller takes the inspiration and moves it into a narrative that’s sometimes uneasy and tense. I know I’m using a lot of negative words to describe it, but these are not negative words. It’s honestly quite the opposite.

Gravetrancers #1 will make you feel uncomfortable. However, that shouldn’t sway you from the comic. Miller lays out some harsh truths, especially for his two main puzzling characters, Maribel and Anthony. They’re trying to either piece together or let go of the past. Either way, they’re trying to find some truth, some closure, but with the events unfolding, you’re not sure if they’re gonna get it. The uncertainty of the fates of these characters leaves you guessing.

Miller balances out these harsh truth with a compelling story that leaves you on edge, diving into issues of family, crime, secrets and most importantly, drugs. He secures you within the hallucinogenic grip of the story, but you’re not sure if any of these people (or you) will make it out alive.

via Black Mask

James Michael Whynot does a remarkable job in bringing this eerie and menacing narrative to life with his pencils and inks. With Whynot’s art, you almost feel like you’re tripping out with characters in the story. You’re not sure what you’re seeing. You’re not sure of what’s happening. But you look deeper into the panels to make sure you’re not missing anything. While his art overall is top-notch, the last couple of pages of the comic show you what Whynot can do. The details into one of our main characters trips and the hellish existence they find themselves in truly stand on its own just with his art.

Dee Cunniffe are so metal. Within this comic, that metal stands out. He combines a hardcore and brutal type tone to this comic. It bleeds with vivid and trippy colors or neon blues, pinks, greens, yellow and more. Cunniffe also invokes that feeling of being uneasy with his colors. He excels highlighting those all too anxious moments with a mixture of dark and light neons. Jim Campbell knows how to place to allow you to follow the story. He never fails to move your eyes from panel to panels flawlessly. Campbell brings everything together to create this unsettling, but stirringly impressive comic.

via Black Mask

Gravetracers #1 fills you with an unreliable story, sinister imagery and an overall sense of “what did I just read,” but it will leave you coming back for more. Gravetracers #1 is now available on Comixology and your local comic shop.

12/13/17 Releases – In addition to Gravetrancers #1, here’s a list of other new titles that came out this week that you should be reading.